Comet
The Comet tank or Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) was a British cruiser tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. It was designed as an improvement on the earlier Cromwell tank, mounting the new 77 mm High-Velocity gun in a new lower profile and part-cast turret. This gun was effective against late-war German tanks, including the Panther at medium range, and the Tiger. The tank was widely respected as one of the best British tanks of the war, and continued in service afterwards. The Comet, which was a development of the Cromwell, rendered the Challenger obsolete, and led to the development of the Centurion tank. When firing APDS rounds, the 77 mm HV was superior in armour penetration capability to the 75 mm KwK 42 gun of the equivalent Axis tank, the Panther (which did not use APDS ammunition). The Comet saw action in the closing stages of World War II and remained in British service until 1958. In some cases, Comets sold to other countries continued to operate into the 1980s. Overview The Cruiser Tank (A34) Comet was the pinnacle of British cruiser tank development, following on from the Cruiser Mk VIII (A27) Cromwell. With its powerful 600hp Rolls-Royce Meteor engine, the Comet retained the Cromwell's speed, but with improved armour protection. Its powerful 77mm gun was a match for all but the heaviest enemy tanks. Between the world wars, British tank doctrine was divided into two distinct roles: infantry tanks, those meant to help the infantry breakthrough enemy lines, and cruiser tanks that were designed to exploit gaps and cut deep into enemy territory. While the infantry tanks (or I-Tanks) were heavily armoured and slow, the cruisers relied on speed to protect them from enemy fire. Cruisers were tested in combat from the very beginning of the war, with A9 Cruiser Mk I and A10 Cruiser Mk II tanks in France, 1940. Shortcomings of these tanks were incorporated in the next generations of cruiser, such as the A13 Cruiser Mk IV and the Cruiser Mk VI ‘Crusader’. The Crusader tank achieved great fame in North Africa and underscored the value of having a light tank for exploiting and charging into enemy territory. However successful it was, the cruiser tank’s weaponry was still unable to tackle infantry and anti-tank guns due to a lack of high-explosive (HE) ammunition. In 1942, a new cruiser tank design emerged which would eventually become the A27 Cruiser Mk VIII ‘Cromwell’. This tank introduced a 75mm gun with HE capable of dealing with soft targets, thereby removing a vital weakness from the cruiser tank. The Cromwell entered battle in Normandy and was applauded for its powerful engine, which came in useful during the race across France and Belgium in 1944. One final problem with the cruiser tank remained to be solved: German armour protection. The enemy’s tanks, such as the Panther, were so well protected that they could not be knocked out from the front. It was believed that the speed of the cruiser would overcome this, but experience in Normandy and Holland proved otherwise. Stopgaps were designed, such as the 17 pdr-armed A30 Challenger and Firefly, but this once again brought back the problem of having no HE ammunition, so they were usually paired with Cromwells to restore the balance. In early 1944 the solution came together with the new A34 Cruiser ‘Comet’ tank design. This design fixed some of the problems reported by Cromwell crews, such as fixing track links, additional armour protection around the turret, and a heavier gun, while retaining the Cromwell’s speed, low profile, and high-explosive ammunition. The Comets went into combat for the first time during Operation Plunder, the 1945 British crossing of the Rhine, as a follow-up and breakthrough force. Once the gap was made by the infantry the Comets raced from river to river in Northern Germany, finally reaching the German autobahn in May. When the Comets hit the famous German motorway, they screamed across the countryside at full speed, stowage flying off the back decks and riflemen passengers clinging on for dear life. The division arrived at the Baltic in early May 1945, with nothing but the highest praise for the Britain’s finest battle tank. In Flames of War The Comet is rated as a Light Tank. You move 16”/40cm at full noise, which means you’re getting into the enemy lines and defences very quickly. With proper use of terrain to block lines of fire from those German big guns, you should be able to get there relatively unscathed as well. Once you’re there, this is where the OQF 77mm gun becomes your best friend. With Semi-indirect Fire and AT14 you are almost guaranteed a kill against even the biggest of the big cats!'' '' Model kits Coming soon. Model assembly Coming soon. Painting Coming soon. Suggested paints: Coming soon. Combat efficiency Coming soon. Image gallery Comets comparison.JPG Comet 2017.JPG Comets-3.jpg Comets-1.jpg BBX30a.jpg BBX30.jpg 510GCpCK1KL.jpg Monty Hounds.jpg